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Reinforcing your chest and back pieces.
All plastic is not alike. I use .125 HIPS but the consistency sometimes tends to differ from order to order.
Some vacuform better than others. Like I said in a previous post, the chest and back
are the largest pieces on the suit. They are stretched more per square inch then any of the others.
If you troop a lot you may want to reinforce your suit. My first and most used suit has cracked over time.
If I had thought to reinforce these areas then it would have saved me from fixing them back up later.
My cracks appeared on the curved area’s below the shoulder straps on my original suit.
I went ahead and reinforce more areas on this one. I must say, they feel much more sturdy now.
I used epoxy and fiberglass tape for this.

*DO NOT ADD THE FINAL PLASTIC PIECES IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED SIZING YOUR CHEST AND BACK PIECES*
I will create a separate post on how to do this.

If you HAVE sized up you suit, then finish the back piece by adding the white plastic pieces.
Follow the directions below.
After the epoxy has dried you will add the two white plastic pieces to the back plate.
Once finished we will add velcro to them. This will hold the front and back pieces together while trooping.
Once finished. Primer and paint the pieces as needed.

Hi Darren,

Can I use this kind of fiberglass tape, in the Netherlands we only have the fiberglass sheets to work with, with all the fibers(hairs) getting loose, it's kind of nasty to work with, so I was thinking about starting to use the drywall fiberglass tape, is this the same kind you are using, or shouldn't I be using it for armor, because it's supposed to be for walls and ceilings?
Ofcourse I will be using the liquid fiberglass ontop of it.

Hello Meneer Troepert,
Yes, they sell that stuff here at places like Wal Mart. I think it should work just fine. Just do like you mention and use the fiberglass liquid on top of it. I would try one piece first to see how it turns out. Please let me know, I might be a great alternative.
Thanks, Darren
BTW, here is a link for the stuff I use. You will need at least 4 yards. I use the 1" stuff.Fiberglass Tape with Selvage Edge: TAP Plastics

Your helmet is probably looking good but we still have a few more things to do to finish it.
First we are going to paint the tube stripes on the E2 helmet grey. Spray some primer on the corner of plastic or carboard. Hand paint with a brush. This technique also works well in touching up the white and black areas on the helmet.
Now we will add the various loose greeblies to the helmets. Primer and paint the items flat black.
First we will add the greeblies to the E3 helmet. I add a small dowel to the center chin piece. It gives it a little more stability and less chance of it getting knocked off. I also like to drill the center out of the aerators and add screen to the inside. It’s not exactly screen accurate but it gives them a nice look.
I add my tube stripes with a file I created in adobe illustrator. I then use blue electrical tape with my template. Please PM me if you would like a PDF copy for timming out the tube stripes.
Finish off the E3 helemt by hand painting the black on the ears.

Now we will add the chin greeblie to the E2 helmet. Like before, I add a small dowel to help keep it in place. Since this is two piece helmet their is a greater chance of this being knocked off while trooping.
Now add the mesh screen to the inside of the helmet. If you ordered the kit, also add the foam padding (not pictured).
Now all that is left is adding the visor. If you are going to airbrush the weathering I suggest adding the visor last.

OK, now we are going to weather your suit and helmet. I like to use a airbrush for this. You don't need a real expensive airbrush, I use a Paasche 2000H H single action airbrush.
You can get them on ebay for around $50.00 but you will need a air compressor to run it. I use water based acrylic paint and I used Grimy Black on this suit and helmet. The water base paints are nice because of the easy cleanup.
I always try to highlight all the great curves and shapes on the suit as well as add some depth and realism to it. I start by taping off all the areas that I really want to stand out.
The other areas I use a loosely cut template like you see below. Hold the template and spray.
Once finished with the first coat, remove the painters tape and lightly spray the areas that were just covered. You don’t want these areas to be bright white. Just a lighter mist than the first one.
On the helmet do the same. Try to spray the offset and recessed areas to give it a little depth (Sorry, I didn't get a photo of this).
Once finished with the airbrush I knock the suit down with some sanding pads. I use the Gator Grit Flexible Sanding pads. I use to be able to find these at Home Depot but they no longer carry them. I think they can be found at TrueValue.
Another option is the 3M Sandblaster Pads. They can be found at OSH.

Do NOT use sandpaper or the 3M sanding blocks. They are just too rough on the painted suit.
The photo below has the strap on the left sanded down and finished.

Your suit and helmet should be ready for the hand painted details. The light sanding with the Gator Grit Flexible Sanding pads or 3M Sandblaster Pads should be done. I also completely knock down all of the pieces, this takes the shiny gloss off of the suit. I prefer a suit that the gloss has been knocked down. It gives it more of a real life feel.
I also think I read somewhere that the 501st is no longer accepting shiny white clones, so if you are planing on joining the 501st, the sanding pads are a must.
Once again, use the Grimy Black acrylic paint. For most of the weathering I use the brushes. It’s good to also have some tissue available. This helps any quick cleanup that may be needed.
Below are some piece that have been weather along with there counterparts that have not.
Finished weathered parts.

Hot glue or epoxy the biceps to the shoulder bells. This is done to keep the shoulder bell from siding under the biceps while trooping.
Once finished your pieces should look something like the photos below.

I guess this is it, the last day of the tutorial. If you found this useful or just enjoyed following along please join my new Facebook page. I will be starting a really cool non Star Wars project next!http://www.facebook.com/pages/DW-Des...56217621115393
We just need to add a few items to the helmets and we are done!
First we will add the padding and the visor. I use hot glue to attach these items.
Next we will add the light in the fin. Once again, I purchased these items at the Dollar Store. If you are handy with a soldering iron pick up a blinking bike light. I have never had much luck but I know C6 did when working on his helmet. You would need to take the bike light apart. Remove and extend the wires then splice them with the box inside the helmet and the lights coming out the fin.
Another option is to add a couple of book lights. First I take and cut the book light’s down. Then I add some hot glue to the area near the light and then wrap it with electrical tape. Then slide it up through the hole in the inside of the helmet.
Once both lights are in place, hot glue the on/off switch box to the inside of your helmet. Take the leftover red plastic and cut it down to fit in the hole in the outside of the fin. Super Glue this piece into place.
Some finished photo’s of the two helmets.

Darren, wasn't sure if this was covered in the thread, but do you add any foam in the thighs at all? I have the thighs trimmed down, but i feel like they would be pretty wobbly on me. Should this piece be taken down to fit snug on the thighs?

Hello Phil,
Its extremely hard to make the thighs smaller other than shorting them. You best bet is to add foam to the inside. The best stuff to use is the same material that I use for helmet padding. It the foam egg crate stuff used for mattresses. You can get a full size for around $10.00 at Wal Mart. Trim and hot glue into place as needed.

runJEDIrun said:

Darren, wasn't sure if this was covered in the thread, but do you add any foam in the thighs at all? I have the thighs trimmed down, but i feel like they would be pretty wobbly on me. Should this piece be taken down to fit snug on the thighs?

I wanted to pass along some new info. C6 created this great sanding board. The size is 30"x18". Four of the six squares are heavy grade sandpaper and two are a bit finer. They have been spray mounted down onto a piece of particle board. Its is perfect for getting straight lines for the seamless items. Thanks again C6 for another great idea!

May 24, 2014, 8:47 PM - Re: C6 Clonetrooper tutorial and build from head to toe!#95

DW Design said:

The fiberglass tape can be picked up at Tap Plastics.

Ok, I've been following your thread for a bit, and could you show where you started from? In this you started with pre-created peices and are putting them together, can you show how you make the pieces? and the messurements for it?

May 26, 2014, 2:26 PM - Re: C6 Clonetrooper tutorial and build from head to toe!#97

I've been following this thread, and planning to make my own clone trooper, but I don't know where you started, could you show how you started with your basic plastic, and how you molded it into what it is now. Thanks!

By any chance do u make any costumes for kids? My son always is looking for original looking costumes. He likes them to look as real as possible. This year for Halloween he wants to be a clone trooper and I've looked around, but they don't have any real looking costume with helmet all around face.